[Zope] Developing a general groupware platform in Zope/Python

[Max M]

Eron Lloyd wrote:

>Does anyone think it would be practical/feasible to develop a groupware
>platform in Zope at this point?
>

I think that is not only possible, but a very logical idea. One thing is 
being able to publish web pages. But in the future we will need to 
publish emails, calendar items, news, content etc. We will need to keep 
trakc of who has gotten what information, and follow information flow in 
it's own little thread. Like a CRM system.

And there is no reason why any kind of comunication should be left out 
of the system.

Imagine:

You publish an article on the website. From your list of users you 
either select some of them that you know are interrested in the article, 
or they have added themself to a mailing list. So they get the news that 
the article is posted. Some of them read it. Some of them comments the 
article on the website, other send you an email.

Some icq's or Jab' a comment.

A few journalists phone you up and talks to you about an interview or 
more info. A company calls because they want you to do a presentation. 
You make appointments with them and add them to your calendar.

Normally all this information would end up in different mailboxes 
scattered all around. It would be so nice if all of that comunication 
would be stored in one place.

Especially if we expand that little scenario to a whole company with 
different people on the inside talking to different people on the outside.

>Should I hold off for a while, and let Zope 3 gel some more, or am I
>completely off my gourd in attempting this? 
>

Hmm ... You should definitely not start doing it in Zope 3 at this time. 
Perhaps do version 0.1 in the current Zope version, and then move it 
when Zope3x becomes stable?

>I've gotten some inspiration
>from that CrankShaft Zope product from Spoke Technologies. Does anyone
>know what happened to them, anyways? This is the sort of thing I'd like
>to emulate, only it would be an open-source platform and target
>community groups, grassroot activists, and small non-profit agencies.
>

Any group where many to many comunication is going on would benefit from 
such a system.

regards Max M